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County Rabies Outbreak: Pets, not
humans, are at greater risk - Be wary of
wildlife, and get Fido and Fluffy vaccinated
(Note: Even though a human HAS BEEN BITTEN -- keep the populace
mollified, don't let folks get alarmed, as wildlife, given precedence
over humans, becomes the rule, rather than the exception in the places
where The Wildlands Project is being implemented by the
benevolent/malevolent ones we are taught to trust... Lisa Hulett needs
to learn a lot more about rabies before underplaying its seriousness
as she so blithely does. Below this article is the January 9, 2004,
"Our Opinion," brought to you by the editorial staff of the
Tucson Citizen. See if you see something wrong with this 'reassuring'
pabulum being presented to the public -- while the Trojan Horse rolls
through the gates! Connect the dots, print many copies of these two
articles, and awaken a LOT more people! This is 'the shape of things
to come,' if we don't do a LOT more networking with new people every
day! Rabies is NOT something you want to leave as a 'legacy' to your
children and their children!)
January 9, 2004
By Paul L. Allen and Anne Denogean, No attacks have been reported since Tuesday, but authorities said another bobcat exhibited rabid behavior when it attacked two people in a midtown neighborhood Monday night. While officials don't want people to worry about the outbreak, they "should exercise a lot more caution when they approach or are approached by wildlife, and that would include coyotes and bobcats," said Hans Koenig, a Tucson-based field supervisor for Arizona Game & Fish Department. The health advisory also suggests local residents make sure their pets have current rabies vaccinations. "Rabies itself is something that comes and goes, but this situation is unusual - to get a rabid bobcat and to get two bites in two days is unusual," Koenig said. "The whole sequence of events is very unusual." The risk of contracting rabies for people in the Tucson area is low, said Lisa Hulette, epidemiology manager with the Pima County Health Department. "You are not going to catch rabies because you walk down the same wash that the bobcat walked down, unless he jumps on your neck and bites you. There's no reason to be alarmed or threatened, especially, for example, in other parts of town," Hulette said. Pets infected with the incurable virus can pass it on to their owners, though it is highly unlikely, said Rodrigo Silva, manager of Pima Animal Care Center. Rabies is transmitted through saliva and requires a break in the skin to pass from one animal to another. Most pet owners would notice their animal's wounds if it had been attacked by a rabid animal, Hulette said. There is a treatment for people bitten by rabid animals, consisting of a series of five shots in the arm or the thigh over a month, Hulette said. It is not nearly as painful or traumatic as the older treatment, which required one shot every day for 21 days in the stomach. Treatment is not optional, unless you've got a death wish. "If you do develop the disease, it's 100 percent fatal in humans. I'm not sure every exposure would convert to rabies, but I wouldn't take a chance," Hulette said. Since Monday night, bobcats in the Tucson area have attacked two men and three dogs, one of which had to be euthanized. The dog had to be euthanized because its rabies shots were not up to date. A bobcat that bit a landscape worker at a golf course adjoining Loews Ventana Canyon Resort on Tuesday, and was found dead the next day, was confirmed to have rabies. Another bobcat that attacked two humans and critically injured a dog before fleeing in midtown Tucson also showed signs of the deadly viral disease. Also Tuesday, construction workers reported sighting an adult mountain lion during daylight hours near a wash by Golf N' Stuff amusement park on Tanque Verde Road east of Wilmot Road. Though the animal displayed no erratic behavior, it is unusual to see large cats out during daylight hours. "I don't think you'd use the word 'epidemic,' but outbreak would be a good word," Koenig said. It is unusual for bobcats to have rabies, which much more commonly afflicts skunks, foxes and bats. The scope of the rabies outbreak and what effect it might have on the wildlife population in the Santa Catalina Mountains remains to be seen, he said. Michele Romero, enforcement support supervisor with Pima Animal Care Center, downplayed the seriousness of the situation. She said, "I don't think it indicates an out-of-the-ordinary situation. The number of rabid animals identified by Pima Animal Care Center doesn't show an increase this year." Peter Cuneo, a University of Arizona extension veterinarian, echoed that assessment, saying, "This is just one (confirmed) case. We don't know yet whether we're seeing just one little blip, or if we're going to see a lot more cases. It's difficult to say."
HOW RABIES SPREADS: The rabies virus causes acute inflammation of the brain in all warm-blooded hosts, including humans. The typical course of the disease:
AVOIDING RABIES: Here are some precautions regarding possible rabies exposure:
RABIES AND HUMANS: If exposure is suspected in a human, a regimen of shots is given over a 28-day period. Current vaccines are relatively painless and are given in the arm. The incubation period in humans typically is between 20 and 90 days. Not all people exposed to the rabies virus develop the disease.
1. About 8:30 p.m. Monday: Bobcat attacks two
dogs. http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/index.php?page=local&story_id=010904a1_rabiesmainbar
Our Opinion: Preserve Tumacacori Highlands
Grijalva expects opposition from ranchers who hold grazing leases in the area, west of Interstate 19 between Tubac and Nogales. Tucson Electric Power Co., which plans to run a new power line through part of the proposed wilderness, also is expected to oppose Grijalva's bill. Neither opponent has good reason to stand in the way of the plan, which is expected to protect numerous rare species of plants and animals and boost tourism in Santa Cruz County. Ranchers would not be driven out of the protected area. They simply wouldn't be allowed to expand their existing grazing operations. The same goes for other existing users. TEP is likely to get clearance for its power line before the wilderness designation could be approved, making it another grandfathered use that would be unaffected by wilderness designation, Grijalva said. TEP would not be allowed to run additional power lines through the area, however, once any wilderness designation were approved. With rapid growth and development quickly eroding the natural landscape of Arizona, it's important to protect for future generations remaining environmentally sensitive lands that collectively make up the backbone of the state's thriving tourist industry. Wilderness designation means an area is to be maintained in a primitive state. The Tumacacori Highlands would incorporate three mountain ranges - the Pajarito, Atascosa and Tumacacori Mountains - which combine to form a contiguous chain. The plan would double the size of the existing 7,529 Pajarita Wilderness area south of Ruby Road and add another 76,171 acres of federal land north of Ruby Road to create the Tumacacori Highlands. The area now is the largest unprotected Forest Service roadless area in the state. Wilderness areas are closed to motorized vehicles, except on access routes. Other activities banned in wilderness include mining, water development and logging. Roughly 4 percent of land in the United States, including 6 percent of Arizona, is designated as wilderness. Grijalva, whose plan has strong backing from the neighboring public, expects it to take at least two years to drum up enough support in Congress to pass the legislation. Congress should move quickly to recognizes the area for what it is: a prime candidate for wilderness designation.
Copyright 2004, The Tucson Citizen.
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/index.php?page=opinion&story_id=010904b4_edits
The above URL did not work well; access was had by going through the main URL: http://www.tucsoncitizen.com, scrolling down to Opinion, and then clicking on 'Our Opinion.' |
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